The Sebastien Pocognoli era of Scottish football begins on Saturday afternoon, with the new manager taking charge of Scotland for the first time as they travel to Ljubljana to take on Slovenia in their Nations League opener.Slovenia vs Scotland details overviewDate: Saturday 26th September 2026Kick-off: 2pmVenue: Stozice Stadium, Ljubljana, SloveniaHow to watch: BBC One, BBC One Scotland, BBC Two Wales, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport websiteSlovenia vs Scotland quick tipsScotland to win and both teams to score at 11/2 with BOYLE Sports (Price Boost)Ryan Christie to score at 11/2 with Sky BetBoth combined into a bet builder at 13/1 with Sky BetSlovenia vs Scotland predictionSaturday afternoon will see Scotland play their first match since Steve Clarke resigned as manager following their group stage exit at the 2026 World Cup.Sebastien Pocognoli becomes the first non-Scottish manager to take charge of the national team since Berti Vogts left the role in November 2005.The Belgian, who had spells with West Brom and Brighton as a player, has previously managed Union Saint-Gilloise, where he won the Belgian league title, and last season guided Monaco to a seventh placed finish in Ligue 1 after taking over in October 2025.After Scotland’s ill-fated first World Cup campaign since 1998, which saw them beat Haiti 1-0 before losing to both Morocco and Brazil to send them back home ahead of schedule, the new campaign begins with a trip to Slovenia in the Nations League.The Scots are back in League B of the competition following their relegation from the top tier in the last campaign after a play off defeat to Greece.Having been drawn into a group containing Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia, Scotland will be hopeful of securing a top two finish to at least see them reach a promotion play-off, though Slovenia will fancy their chances at beating them to second place which makes Saturday’s match a huge one.Slovenia also have a relatively new manager at the helm, with another former West Brom player, Bostjan Cesar, Slovenia’s most capped international with 101 appearances, having only taken over in January this year.Cesar, who was a member of the Baggies’ Championship title winning side in 2008, will be managing his nation in a competitive match for the first time on Saturday, having previously overseen four friendlies, of which they’ve won one.The new Nations League campaign will be their third consecutive one in the second tier of the competition, finishing third in their group in both campaigns and avoiding relegation last time out by narrowly winning their play-off in extra time against Slovakia last spring.Scotland will still be licking their wounds after their disappointing World Cup campaign, and it will likely take more than a few training sessions for Pocognoli to make his stamp on his team.The Belgian has picked a largely inexperienced squad, with eight uncapped players, and will crucially be missing their star player in the shape of Scott McTominay, who has proved so reliable for Scotland in the past and will be a big miss.However, Slovenia will also be missing their star, with Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko having dropped out of the squad through injury, which should leave them lacking firepower and will leave Scotland backing themselves for victory – perhaps a 2-1 away win looking most likely.Slovenia vs Scotland tipsPocognoli’s perfect Scottish startSebastien Pocognoli will be eager to kick off his tenure as Scotland manager with a victory in a difficult Nations League clash against Slovenia.The Scottish squad should be fired up, eager to impress their new manager as they look to give themselves the perfect start in their hunt for promotion back to the top tier of the competition.Slovenia will provide a difficult test for Pocognoli’s side but will be without their star striker in the shape of Benjamin Sesko, which should come as a big relief to the Scottish back line.Scotland to win and both teams to score at 11/2 with BOYLE Sports (Price Boost)Christie on songOf the players expected to start for Scotland in Ljubljana on Saturday afternoon, none have scored as many goals this season as Ryan Christie, who has scored three goals across his two starts for Bournemouth in the current campaign.The midfielder is also one of only two players in the Scotland squad to have reached double figures in senior international goals, having scored on three occasions for his country last season.Ryan Christie to score at 11/2 with Sky BetSlovenia vs Scotland predicted lineupsSlovenia (4-2-3-1): Oblak (GK); Karnicnik, Bijol, Drkusic, Janza; Cerin, Elsnik; Sturm, Lovric, Begic; SporarScotland (4-2-3-1): Gunn (GK); Hickey, Hendry, McKenna, Robertson; Ferguson, Gilmour; Gannon-Doak, McGinn, Christie; McBurnieSlovenia vs Scotland latest oddsFind the latest Slovenia vs Scotland betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakersand are subject to change.Slovenia – 6/4 with BOYLE SportsDraw – 9/4 with BOYLE SportsScotland – 13/8 with BOYLE SportsMore Nations League predictionsWe have plenty more club friendly predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.Important historical facts about Slovenia vs ScotlandScotland have never lost against Slovenia across their five previous meetings ahead of Saturday’s match in Ljubljana, with the central European side have scored on only three occasions in those games, compared to Scotland’s seven.The most recent game between the two teams came in their final 2018 World Cup qualifier, in which Robert Snodgrass rescued a late point in the Slovenian capital after Leigh Griffiths had put the visitors ahead, with current Slovenia boss Cesar being sent off late on in the match.Last meeting: Slovenia 2-2 Scotland (Oct 2017, 2018 World Cup qualifier)Last 5 matches: Slovenia wins – 0; Scotland wins – 2; Draws – 3.Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. 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